The labour process is changing, the power relations are changing, but how is Organizing rocks changing us?
The question is asked by a participant after the seminar in Sydney on December 14. Somewhat loosely formulated, Johan answers that we sometimes write on the blog and in the logbook how Kiruna, the mine and the people fascinate us. After all, we hadn’t really made any grand plans about videos, animations and music ahead of the project. We “blame” it on, to some extent, falling in love with the place and the people.
Developing Johan’s fumbling start further, we imagine some emerging changes to us:
- That research is the fundamental reason for returning to our favorite passion of our youth – music – feels extremely refreshing. Almost the same feeling appears now as when we were newly started doctoral students.
- To a larger extent we enroll all our five senses and it makes good sense. Over time we more and more dare to allow ourselves to use them “professionally”. Bridging the gap between reason/mind and body/soul simply feels right. It makes us feel more reflexive, relevant and joyful.
- A few years ago, a sense of boredom and meaninglessness started to ache in us. It was primarily connected to the ever returning cycle of writing and re-writing academic papers and the continuous spinning of the wheel of fortune of acceptance/reject (where journal style, format and rules more often than not seem more important to reviewers and editors than doubt, exploration and plot; this also go for applications for research funding). Visiting the field is a cure for this, but the blog and the continuous writing, recording, and playing and shooting also have paved the way for a sense of meaning and joy. Right now, there is no article under construction in sight. So nice!
- The best thing of it all is that we feel more serious as social scientists than ever before!